Field of the Invention
Embodiments described herein generally relate to an image forming system, an image forming apparatus, and a method of controlling the same.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, along with improvement of the performance of an image forming apparatus, sheet types to be handled by the image forming apparatus have increased. A sheet used for printing is defined by attributes indicating features of the sheet such as a size, grammage, a surface property, and the like. So far, the image forming apparatus has widened the range of printable sheet types by handling sheets of more attributes and coped with a variety of user requests. The image forming apparatus stores a sheet type used for printing in advance, and a user sets a sheet type set for each sheet feed tray. The image forming apparatus sets the conveyance speed of a sheet, the temperature of a fixing unit, density adjustment, and the like at the time of printing based on the type of sheet used for printing and prints an image on the sheet in the setting.
Conventionally, a maker that manufactures an image forming apparatus registers sheet types to the image forming apparatus upon shipping as specifications in consideration of a normal operation range of the apparatus. It is also possible that the user newly sets sheet characteristic information and registers it as a new sheet type. The user who has set a sheet to the sheet feed tray registers the sheet types to the sheet feed trays from a UI screen displayed on a display connected to the image forming apparatus. It is possible to register the sheet types to the sheet feed trays by, for example, displaying a list of the sheet types registered in the image forming apparatus on the UI screen, and making the user select a sheet type set to the sheet feed tray from the list.
In POD (Print On Demand), when many sheets are used in one print job, when a sheet needed by each user is used in an office environment having an indefinite number of users, or the like, sheet changeover work occurs in various application purposes and scenarios. In this case, the users need to operate the UI screen and set a sheet type each time. If such a sheet changeover occurs frequently, not only a load on each user may increase, but also human error such as forgetting to set the sheet type may occur.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-94823 proposes a method of detecting that a user opens a sheet feed tray, reducing a labor of the user to display a registration screen for a sheet type in the detected sheet feed tray on a UI screen by outputting the registration screen to the UI screen, and preventing forgetting to set the sheet type.
As a printing application diversifies, print accessories that satisfy user requests are developed. For example, a sheet feeding apparatus that implements large-volume and high-speed feeding is one of these accessories. It becomes possible to perform a lot of printing in one sheet feeding operation or perform a lot of printing at a high speed by attaching the sheet feeding apparatus to the image forming apparatus. The above-described sheet feeding apparatus includes setting items unique to the sheet feeding apparatus, and feeding from the sheet feeding apparatus to the image forming apparatus becomes possible by causing the user to set those setting items. In order to feed a sheet set in the sheet feeding apparatus correctly, however, a sheet setting on a UI set in each of the image forming apparatus and the sheet feeding apparatus is needed. Therefore, if even one of the sheet registration/setting works on the UIs is ignored, a state in which different sheets are set in the image forming apparatus and the sheet feeding apparatus may occur, resulting in causing an image failure or a feed jam.